Automatic platform for street-cars.



E. c. RUDD.

AUTOMATIC PLATFORM FOR STREET CARS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-25,1916.

Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

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EVERETT G. RUDD, OF MOUNT VEBNGN, NEW' YORK.

AUTOMATIC PLATFORM FOR STREET-CARS.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1Q, 1917.

Application filed. September 25, 1916. Serial No. 122,027.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EVERETT C. RUDD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of WVestchester, State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticPlatforms for Street-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The present invention is directed to improvements in automatic platformsections which constitute the steps for street cars, and moreparticularly to that type of car known as pay as you enter.

The invention has for its object to provide a platform which is somounted that it will automatically open when the entrance door of thecar is opened, and will close when the door is closed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a platform section whichis controlled by the door of the car, said section when in itsinoperative position being in a plane with the platform of the car andelevated to a height to permit the car to readily pass over snowv driftsor obstructions without injuring the section.

With these and other objects in view, this invention resides in thenovel features of construction, formation, combination and arrangementof parts to be hereinafter more fully described claimed and illustratedin the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary sideelevation of a car equipped with the device.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing 1 indicates the platform of the car, which isprovided with an opening 2 and pivotally mounted in said opening is aplatform section 3, said section being normally in a plane with theplatform 2, and is provided with cleats 4.

Supported by one side of the car is a track bar 8, said rack beingengaged with the pinion 9 which is rotatably supported interiorly of thecar and adjacent the partition 10, said pinion being in mesh with apinion 11 which is fixed to the lower end of the shaft 12. The pinions 9and 11 are located beneath the floor 13 of the car. Fixed to the shaft12 and above the floor 13 is a ratchet wheel 14 which is normallyengaged by the pivotally mounted pawl 15, said pawl being supported bythe floor. The shaft 12 is rotatably engaged in the bracket 17 which issupported by the side of the car. Removably'engaged with the upper endof the shaft is a crank handle 18 which when operated will rotate thepinions 9 and 11 to slide the rack 8 in the desired direction.

Having one end fixed to the door 7 is a cable 19, said cable beingengaged over a pulley 20 supported by the partition 10, and has itsother end fixed to one corner of the platform section 3. Thus it will beseen that when the door 7 is open that the section 3 will swingdownwardly, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, whereupon passengers canwalk thereover and enter the doorway 21. It is of course obvious thatwhen the door 7 is closed that the section 3 will be in the positionshown in full lines in Fig. 2, and will be firmly held in its closedposition as long as the pawl 15 is engaged with the ratchet wheel 14:.

To prevent passengers crowding upon the section 3 a bar 22 is provided,said bar being pivotally connected between blocks 23 carried by thepartition 10, the inner of said bar having an angle arm 24 carriedthereby which is engaged with the inner end of the cable 25, said cablebeing trained around pulleys 26 and 27 and is passed through an openingin the partition 10 and has its forward end connected to the door 7 sothat when the door is opened the bar will be swung downwardly, adjacentthe partition 10. A coil spring 28 has one end connected to thepartition and the other end to the bar, said spring serving to pull thebar down to a perpendicular position when the door is opened. Cable 25will pull bar 22 up to a horizontal position, when the door 7, isclosed.

The bar 22 is provided with a socket 29 in which is slidably mounted arod 80, said rod having a handle 31 carried thereby which operates inthe bayonet slot 32 formed in the bar 22, whereby said rod can be slidoutwardly when desired." The forward edge of the door isprovided witha'strip of rubber 33 which is adapted to be compressed between the doorand jamb 34 which will exert a backward pressure upon the door so thatthe ratchet wheel 14 will be held in firm engagement with the pawl 15,after which'the crank handle can be removed tion pivotally mounted inthe opening, a

cable connecting the section and door and serving to hold the section ina plane with the paltform when the door is closed, and permitting thesection to swing downwardly when thedoor is opened.

2. In combination with the sliding door of a car, the platform of thecar having an opening formed therein, a platform section pivotallymounted in the opening, a rack bar carried by the door, a pinion in meshwith the rack bar, means for rotating the pinion to slide the door andrack bar simultaneously, a cable connecting the platform section anddoor to normally hold the section in a plane with the platform, and abar pivotally associated with the car and capable of being swungdownwardly when the door is opened as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with the sliding door of a car, the platform of thecar having an opening therein, a platform section hingedly -mounted inthe opening, means connecting said section and door whereby opening andclosing of the latter will serve to lower and raise the sectlon, andmeans preventing access to the platform section when the same EVERETT C.RUDD.

Witnesses:

MARTIN C. KUNKEL, CHARLES A. CARPENTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' I Washington, D. G.

